Design Your Home Before You Find Property?

Once you decide to build a home, it’s hard not to think about it.  There are many design elements to consider, and your architect will guide you through the decision-making process.  Some of these you can decide on before you find the perfect piece of property; however, there are some decisions that will be influenced by the characteristics of your land.

Design elements to think about before you find property:

• Specialty rooms for hobbies or activities;
• The number of bedrooms and bathrooms you will need;
• Storage space requirements;
• Design details such as a gas fireplace vs. wood;
• The theme of your interior design (colors, light, textures)

Wait until you find your land to determine these design fundamentals:

• The home’s size and number of stories:  site or local restrictions may limit the size, height, or even the placement of the home on your property;
• Type of foundation:  the type of foundation system you choose may be dependent upon local or state codes, the lot size, slope, and soil type;
• Walkout basement:  a sloping lot can allow for a walk-out basement, providing more usable square footage for recreation areas or additional guest bedrooms.

If you’re excited to get started on planning your home design, we suggest you create a binder of clippings and samples you are collecting.  Include design elements and details you do not like: sometimes these are more valuable to your architect than features that you do like.

Ready to get started?  Call or stop by to schedule a free site visit!

A New Thermostat that “Learns”?

Some of us are frustrated at the changing of the seasons – not because it's time to bring out the sweaters and coats, but because we have to find the directions on how to reprogram the thermostat! 

Nest  | The Learning Thermostat

The new Nest Learning Thermostat might be the answer. Developed former Apple executives Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, the Nest is said to be user-friendly with updateable software and nominal installation requirements.  Best of all, the Nest is easy to operate:  simply turn the dial to set the temperature as each day progresses on the screen.  After a week the Nest has stored and “learned” the data to keep replicating the first week’s settings.  Better yet, it has a motion sensor that can detect when the house is unoccupied, called Auto-Away™.  Auto-Away turns heating and cooling down automatically when no one is home, saving energy for you when no one is home.

Want to know if you’re saving energy?  It’s simple:  look for the Nest Leaf on the screen.  

The Nest is a great way to see if you're saving energy every day.  Whether you're putting it in your primary residence or vacation home, Bonin Architects gives the Nest a thumbs up!

Bonin Named 2011 BNI Member of the Year

For the second year in a row, Kimberly Bonin was voted Member of the Year of the Lake Sunapee Region Chapter BNI (Business Networking International).

Kimberly Bonin, Mike Roberts,and  Carol Williams

Over 200 members from BNI Chapters throughout New Hampshire attended the awards dinner October 6^th at the Castleton in Windham, New Hampshire where Mike Roberts, BNI New Hampshire Executive Director, presented Kim with her award.  The Member of the Year Award recognizes a BNI member for their exceptional leadership skills, attitude, attendance, quality of referrals, and contribution to the growth of the chapter.

Receiving the BNI Chapter’s “Givers Gain” award was Carol Williams of Efficiency Productivity Systems (EPS), which recognizes a member who excels in giving business referrals and other forms of direct support to their fellow BNI members without the expectation of receiving anything in return.